Facing the Deed Undone
by Jellico
Summary: Series prequel set eight years before Season 1. Beware the mistakes that can never be reversed. For some people the past is never really past...


When Keith spotted a lonely set of hazard lights blinking up ahead on the side of the road, he slowed his used Toyota 4Runner without a second thought and pulled up behind the car in trouble. It was past ten o'clock and the moonless sky above was black as pitch, but he wasn't the least bit concerned for his safety. He didn't need any street lights shining down on him after dark to make him feel secure. This was small town North Carolina, after all, not New York City, and the chances of getting attacked way out here were slim. Besides, he liked being neighborly, and since he was a pretty handy mechanic, he would be glad to lend a hand, if he could. The back roads leading to Tree Hill were not well-travelled at the best of times nor were they well-paved either. And they definitely weren't kind to fancy wheels like those on the Mercedes-Benz 400 pulled over right now on the shoulder.

 _Who knew when someone else might come along to help?_

Keith parked, opened his door and stepped down, then grinned ear to ear as the driver of the Mercedes exited his car as well.

"Well, well, well," Keith greeted him. "It looks like you could use my services, Little Brother."

Dan offered his usual condescending smirk as Keith strolled over. "What're you doing out here, Keith? I know I was taking a nice, leisurely drive back to my family after a productive business trip, but what about you? Shouldn't you be in a bar somewhere closer to home, trying to pick up a one-night stand? That is what you do every Saturday night, isn't it?"

"Hey, you're the one stuck out here, not me, but if you wanna act like a jerkoff, no problem. I'll gladly go on my way."

As Keith shrugged and turned back to his SUV, Dan called after him, "What's the matter, Big Brother? Can't take a joke?"

"Good night, Dan."

"Wait!" When Keith stopped but didn't turn around, Dan swallowed his pride. "Please. I can't get cellular service out here ... I need a ride."

Keith turned back to him and smiled. "That really hurt to say, didn't it?"

"To you? I don't think you have any idea."

"Knowing you, I think I do. Before I give you a ride though, let me get my tools from the trunk. Maybe I can fix—"

"Don't bother," Dan cut him off. "I already checked under the hood and it's the timing belt that broke. I'm guessing you don't have a spare one of those for an eighty-thousand dollar car just lying around in that jalopy of yours."

"Uh, no." As Dan stood by his car and arched an eyebrow, waiting for an official invitation, Keith glanced toward his own vehicle then sighed. "Okay, well, grab your stuff and hop in, I guess. I'll drive you back to town."

Dan nodded his thanks. He extracted his briefcase along with an overnight bag from the Mercedes, and then locked the car and began to walk over. As he headed for the front passenger seat, however, Keith stopped him.

"Uh, better get in around back unless you think you can squeeze in under all my gear."

Dan took a proper look through the windshield at all the camping crap he would have to move and curled his lip.

 _Was it any wonder his older brother was pushing thirty and still single? He couldn't figure out a way to pack his stuff properly in the trunk or on the rear seat like a normal person? Jesus, what a slob._

Without a word, Dan opened the back passenger door instead ... then halted as though slapped.

"Lucas," he breathed.

Keith got settled behind the wheel and glanced back casually as he started the engine. "Yeah, we tried roughing it out by Silver Lake, but the flies are too thick this weekend, even for me. I'm taking him back to Karen's, but after that, I'll swing by your house and drop you off." Keith closed his door then shifted in his seat to gaze down fondly at the eight-year-old sprawled on the back seat, completely oblivious to the world around him. "Look at him; I swear my nephew could sleep through just about anything." When Dad said nothing and didn't make a move toward climbing into the Toyota, Keith snapped his fingers to get him out of his trance. "Hey, you gettin' in?"

"There's ... no room."

"Don't be an ass, Danny. Luke doesn't have the plague. Just put your stuff on the floor, then lift his head up and put it in your lap." Keith waited, but when Dan still couldn't bring himself to move, he lost all patience. "For Christ's sakes, Dan, you have another son, don't you? Well, treat Lucas like you would Nathan for five damn minutes of his life and sit your ass in this car so we can get going!"

From the look on Keith's face, he was fully prepared to peel out of here within the next ten seconds if his younger brother didn't move his butt, so Dan set his jaw and took Keith's suggestion. He reached over and squeezed his bag and his briefcase onto the floor behind Keith's seat, and then tentatively, he lifted Luke's head and slid underneath him. As soon as he'd shut the door as quietly as possible to avoid waking the little boy now slumbering against him, he glared at Keith for making him do this, but Keith stared right back at him without apology.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Keith didn't wait for a retort. He faced front, put the 4Runner into gear and pulled onto the road, his disgust with his sibling more than evident from the angry silence emanating from his corner of the SUV.

Not for a second did Dan care. Even at the best of times, Keith's opinion of him mattered little, but now, pinned as he was in the last place he wanted to be with the company that was currently surrounding him, he really, _really_ didn't care. He didn't have the energy to care. He was too damn stiff and uncomfortable. Keith had said Lucas was a deep sleeper, but was it truly okay to move? What if the kid suddenly woke up and had a fit after seeing who was with him in the back seat?

To avoid that possibility, Dan did his best to suck it up. He ignored his cramping muscles and breathed shallow breaths while he kept his right arm pinned again the window and his left way up high by the seat backs. He didn't want to touch Lucas any more than necessary and risk alerting the youngster to his presence, but as the miles passed and the boy didn't move except to shift onto his side and press closer against his biological father in his sleep, Dan found himself drawn to study him in the dark.

Here in the car, and curled on his side in plaid pajamas with a teddy bear clutched in his arms, Lucas seemed much smaller than the last time Dan had seen him playing alone at the River Court. His sandy blond hair was longer as well, but he seemed younger and skinnier somehow, like he was six years old instead of eight.

Discretely, Dan checked Keith's profile up front to ensure his brother wasn't spying on him, and then he allowed his arm to slide down in stages so it rested on Luke's hip. He waited a minute, checked Keith's profile again, then adjusted his hand a second time so he could touch Luke's hair. It was straight like Nathan's, but thicker, and a blond wedge had fallen forward so it covered Luke's face. Gently, Dan brushed it back, his heart clenching as the reality of what was happening suddenly hit him.

This was his firstborn son resting against him.

And this was the closest they had been to each other since the day Lucas was born.

In the driver's seat, Keith glanced in the rear-view mirror then did a double-take as he noted Dan actually looking at his son instead of pretending he didn't exist. When was the last time Dan had done that? Keith honestly couldn't say. He forced his eyes to focus on the road ahead, but he couldn't stop himself from watching Dan every few seconds through the mirror, stunned by the changes he was seeing. Was it the poor lighting in the car, or was Dan actually touching Lucas and staring at him with longing? Was the arrogant Dan Scott finally regretting his decision to dump the child beside him? Had Keith actually lived to see that day?

Keith was starting to believe he just might have. He continued to snatch glimpses for another few minutes until the inevitable happened and Dan finally caught him spying. Keith immediately looked away, fully expecting his brother's defenses to rise, but Dan surprised him again. Instead of making some kind of snarky remark, Dan stayed silent for a beat longer and then simply asked,

"How has he been?"

Keith shifted in his seat. "Uh, who do you mean?"

"Lucas."

Here it was, a perfect opportunity to punish Dan for his neglect by starving him of information when he most craved it ... but Keith couldn't do that. He looked at Dan through the rear-view mirror and offered him a small smile.

"He's been great, Danny, really. You're missing a lot."

"Like what?"

"Well ..." Keith thought a moment as he stretched his back a bit. "He got straight A's on his last report card, and he definitely inherited your love of books. He's devouring a series now called _The Great Brain_."

"By John D. Fitzgerald."

"You remember the author?"

Dan smiled proudly as he smoothed the blond hair in his lap. "Oh, yeah. He was one of my favorites when I was ten."

"Well, he's Luke's favorite now, I think. And if he's not reading about Tom, Sweyn, and J.D. – and then telling _me_ everything he just read so we can discuss it – he and his little friend, Haley, are snooping around with magnifying glasses, pretending to be kid detectives so they can solve The Mystery of the Misplaced Cookie or The Case of The Cantankerous Neighbor. You know, like Leroy Brown and Sally Kimball would do."

Dan burst out in a laugh. "He's reading _Encyclopedia Brown_ too? Man, that takes me back!"

"Me too," Keith said. "I remember when you tried me to charge me two bucks to find my "missing" homework when you were the one who hid it in the first place."

"Hey, you can't fault a little brother for trying!"

"Oh yes, I can." Dan grinned without apology as Keith half-smiled at him through the mirror. For a minute nothing more was said between the brothers, but then Keith thought of another bit of news he could share. "By the way, since Luke is such a chip off the old block, I'm guessing you'll be happy to know he was voted MVP a few weeks back on his Pee-Wee football team."

 _"You turned him away from basketball?!"_

At Dan's reaction, Keith rolled his eyes. He should have known that's what Dan would pick up on instead of simply being happy for his son. Aloud, Keith said, "Calm down, Danny. He's only eight years old, in case you've forgotten. He's allowed to like more than one sport and he's good at it too."

"So what? I'll bet he's great at chewing gum, but that doesn't mean it's a beneficial extracurricular activity!"

"Will you just—"

"Basketball is where he needs to concentrate," Dan insisted. "It's the best sport there is for a kid his age, Keith. You discourage him from basketball, and you keep encouraging him to play football instead, and you might as well start feeding him pork rinds and Miller Lite right now. Football is for overweight jocks without a brain, not a kid who's both smart and agile."

"Are you hearing yourself?" Keith demanded. "Do you know how ridiculous you sound telling me of all people that Lucas is too smart and agile for football? How the hell would you know he's either one, if I didn't tell you what's been going on in his life and keep you up-to-date on what a great kid he is?" Before Dan could answer, Keith shook his head at his brother's infuriated expression. "Get your facts straight next time before you start lecturing me, Little Brother. Lucas still plays basketball almost every other day, so you can quit flipping out about me turning him away from it. I would never do that to him and I could never do it either; he loves it too much. Just like you. Just like Nathan." Keith glanced behind him and shot Dan a very pointed look. "Don't worry though. I'm making sure he knows it's only a game and not his whole life."

Dan looked at him in disgust. "So says the loser who has no real life."

For Keith that was it. He stopped the car without warning, then shifted in his seat so he was mostly facing Dan. "You wanna get out and walk?"

"In these shoes?" Dan snorted. "No, not especially."

"Then apologize."

Dan had put an arm over Lucas when Keith began to brake in order to keep him from rolling off the seat, but now he tightened his grip for another reason. He didn't want to leave his son. He waited for Keith to see that and to forgive the insult he'd spewed without making him apologize for it officially, but no dice. Keith kept watching his face and waiting, determined to extract the two most hated and humiliating words in Dan's entire vocabulary. Obviously, Keith wasn't going to back off about this; Dan could see that now.

He looked at his brother in annoyance then deliberately averted his gaze out the window. "I'm sorry."

Keith stared at him a beat longer. "You'd better be," he finally said. "Now how about you sit there quietly for the rest of the ride to Tree Hill and keep your big mouth shut?"

Dan didn't answer. Since Keith didn't want him to, he simply faced front again, put the SUV back in gear, then began to drive, seriously wishing he had taken another route home.

Behind him, Dan was sorely tempted to wish the same, but a quick glance down at Lucas told him that any such wishes would be a lie. He would never be sorry that he and Keith had crossed paths tonight. It they hadn't, he wouldn't be holding his firstborn son right now, and he wouldn't have learned that they shared the same taste in children's literature.

 _The Great Brain_ _ **and**_ _Encyclopedia Brown?_ _Heh_. _Outstanding. This kid of his was clearly a winner; no doubt about it._

From the driver's seat, Keith glanced in the rear-view mirror but didn't say anything about the triumphant grin gracing Dan's face. He wouldn't put it past his cocky younger brother to laugh at him next, literally behind his back, for lacking the guts to kick him out of the car, but Keith refused to be bothered by it. Let Dan laugh to himself like a fool all he wants to. He already _was_ a fool as far as Keith was concerned. He was a fool for ever letting Karen and Lucas go...

 **0000000**

An hour later, Keith pulled up in front of Karen's darkened house. Not a word had been shared between him and Dan for the last sixty minutes and for that he was grateful. Hell, he hoped it would continue. He parked and stepped out, and then opened the back passenger door closest to Luke's feet, but the second he reached for the little boy to pick him up and carry him inside, Dan spoke up.

"Wait."

Keith sighed his impatience. "What for, Dan? It's late. Lucas needs to be in bed, so I can get _you_ home so _I_ can go to bed."

"I know." Dan hesitated then looked at Keith intently. "I know we need to get going, but I just ... just let me do it, okay? I'll take him in."

"What? Why?"

"What do you mean, _why_? He's my son."

Keith would have laughed if he wasn't already so weary. Ignoring Dan's request completely, he slid Lucas down the seat closer to him, and then lifted him easily from the SUV. "You know," he said as he stood in the street and adjusted the sleeping youngster in his arms. "I can't remember last time you said that, Danny. In fact, I don't think you have _ever_ called him that to my face once in the last eight years before today."

Dan exited the car quickly then came around to block his brother's path. "Give him to me, Keith."

"I don't think so, Little Brother. Now get out of my way."

"Keith—"

"Forget it. Karen is a very light sleeper and she has been ever since Lucas was born. If she wakes up, looks out the window and sees you—

"Let her." Dan took a step to the left as Keith tried to walk around him by taking a step to the right. "Lucas is not just her son, Keith; he's mine too, and for once in his life, I'd like to hold him properly in my arms. Are you really gonna say no to that?"

Keith wanted to. God, how he wanted to, but he knew instantly that he couldn't do that to his nephew. At least once every six months, Lucas asked him if his daddy was someday going to claim him, so what would Keith say the next time Lucas looked up at him with those sad blue eyes? _I'm sorry, kid, but I drove your daddy away by refusing to let him pick you up the one time he wanted to?_ No, Keith couldn't do that.

He held Lucas tighter a moment and then he checked around the SUV to view Karen's house. It was still dark and there were no movements behind the curtains, so he was basically out of excuses. He looked up at Dan.

"All right, you can take him and carry him to the porch, but that's it. Don't wake him and don't drop him."

Dan was tempted to retort that he knew more about being a father than Keith did since he had successfully procreated twice unlike some people he could name, but he didn't say a word. He wasn't about to let anything slip that might drive Keith to change his mind. He stepped forward and lifted Lucas out of Keith's arms with ease, settling the light weight against his upper body a second later. Tears sprang to his eyes when Lucas was all his, but he blinked them away quickly before Keith could see and simply revelled in the feel of his son's head cradled naturally against his neck like Nathan's would be.

The moment didn't last.

Before he could take a single step around the Toyota and carry Lucas up to the wooden porch as Keith had promised him he could, the lights suddenly came on inside the Roe house and his big brother was once again in his face.

"Ah, shit! Give him back, Dan."

Dan hugged Lucas to him as he looked over the car roof at the front door, trying to quell his rising emotions. "Karen's still inside, Keith. She hasn't even opened the door yet. I can still—"

"No! Are you crazy?!"

"Please just give me another min—"

"Danny, give him _back_! You want Lucas to wake up scared out of his mind when Karen sees you two together and starts freaking out and yelling? Come on, dammit! Let me take him!"

Their sharp voices combined with the cool night air finally pierced Luke's consciousness. For the first time in hours, the groggy eight-year-old began to stir, mumbling questions about what was going on as he rubbed a fist in his left eye.

Keith acted fast. He snatched his nephew from Dan then pushed Luke's head down gently, shushing him and telling him to go back to sleep. Exhausted and wrapped up in strong arms that were now very familiar to him even in his semi-conscious state, that was an order Lucas had no problems obeying. He slung a skinny arm over Keith's shoulder and muttered something in his uncle's neck, and then a second later, he was quiet once again and down for the count until morning.

Precisely then the porch light came on, the front door opened and Karen stepped outside, but the smile of welcome she had for Keith as he came around the car faded immediately when she spotted the father of her son standing beside him. Technically, Dan was in the street and not on the neighborhood lot she owned, but she truly didn't care.

"What're you doing here, Dan? Get off my property."

"His car broke down." Keith explained before Dan could say something to set her off even more. "He was stranded out by Selma."

"Good."

"I'm giving him a lift. I was just dropping Lucas off first."

Karen said nothing more for a minute as she tightened her robe around her waist and watched both men step onto the sidewalk then come forward up the short walkway. The second they climbed the porch stairs, however, Karen let the brothers know exactly where they stood in her affections. "Keith, you're welcome to come in. You," she said to Dan after placing her right palm firmly on his chest, "can wait your selfish ass on the lawn."

Dan's jaw clenched as he watched Keith carry a son that wasn't his into the house. When Karen turned her back on him as well, Dan reached out and took her arm. "Hold on a minute, Karen. We need to talk about Luc—"

"Oh no, we don't." Karen wrenched herself free and kept going. She stepped into the house and shut the screen door in his face, then deliberately engaged the latch. "You and I have nothing more to discuss, Dan. We never did. You wanted to be free of us and you are, so just – just get lost and stay that way."

"Dammit, you can't keep me from him forever!"

"Watch me!"

"I want to get to know my son!"

As Dan banged a fist against the wooden frame and looked ready to kick the mesh door in next, Karen remembered her little boy sleeping within earshot and made an effort to lower her voice. "You _do_ know your son, Dan. You live with him. His name is _Nathan._ "

"You know I'm not talking about Nath—"

"Well you had better be," Karen threatened, "because you are _not_ talking about Lucas. Lucas is _my_ son, Dan. You made sure of that before he was even born and you've continued to make that very clear in the years since you moved back to town with Deb. Now get away from this door and leave us alone before I call the police."

Like she had with the screen door, Karen shut the inside door as well, then flipped the lock. Dan banged his fist one last time against the frame while he swore at her, but Karen's only response was to curse at him as well, and then turn off the porch light to drop him into darkness.

With no one to talk to and nothing to do until Keith came out to drive him home, a fuming Dan stormed off the porch and returned to the SUV, where he kicked the tires again and again for almost a full minute before he forced himself to get under control. He was showing weakness letting Karen get to him like that, but the first mistake he'd made tonight wasn't even that. It was touching Lucas in the car and then holding him a moment ago when nothing good could possibly come from it. He should never have done that. He should never have let his heart feel something for a kid he wasn't even raising, because he didn't need his firstborn son in his life. Karen was right. He already had another son and his name was Nathan, a boy who was popular, and had a ton of friends, and who wouldn't dream of wasting time on a football field when there were far more important sports to play. Nathan was going to grow up to be the best basketball player Tree Hill had ever produced, second only to his father himself, and that would show Karen. It would show Keith too.

Dan Scott didn't need Lucas. He didn't need Lucas at all no matter what his heart kept trying to tell him.

He had Nathan.

And no one was _ever_ going to take that son away from him...

9


End file.
